Nygren joins Chinle Just Move It event focused on health and community

Families in the Chinle area got more than a chance to walk or run at Cottonwood Day School. President Buu Nygren joined the June 18 Just Move It gathering, where elders, youth, runners, walkers, health care workers and volunteers spent the evening focused on fitness, community connection and staying safe in the summer heat.

At the school, about 23 miles west of Chinle on Navajo Route 4, health staff stayed attentive as temperatures climbed, making sure people had water and watching for signs of heat-related illness. In Apache County, where long distances and extreme heat can quickly turn a neighborhood gathering into a health concern, that kind of support gave the event a practical purpose beyond exercise alone.

The gathering also underscored how closely the event is tied to the Tselani/Cottonwood Chapter, which says it sits about 23 miles southwest of Chinle and serves about 2,700 members. Cottonwood Day School is part of that same rural reach, where the nearest health care, school activities and community programming often overlap. Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility, one of the four Navajo Area hospitals identified by the Indian Health Service, is part of the same regional network that supports residents across the area.

The Navajo Area Indian Health Service says it serves more than 244,000 American Indians across five federal service units: Chinle, Crownpoint, Gallup, Kayenta and Shiprock. Within that system, Just Move It has grown into a recurring campaign rather than a one-night event. An IHS report on the Navajo Area Just Move It series said the Chinle Service Unit had 2,567 new registrants and 1,449 returning participants, for 4,016 total participants in one reporting cycle.

That participation matters as the Navajo Nation faces severe drought conditions. The nation declared a drought emergency on June 10, 2026, making water access, hydration and outdoor safety even more important at summer gatherings. IHS describes Just Move It as a collaborative effort with community partners and local chapters to increase physical activity during spring and summer, and the Cottonwood event showed how that goal stretches beyond exercise into prevention, awareness and community care.